Core concepts articles
Realms, worlds, and planes
Why the realm is the container, and how places nest inside it.
A realm is the top-level container in DMRealm — not a world. The distinction does real work, so it is worth being precise about.
Why the realm, and not the world#
Because a setting outlives a map. Campaigns end, parties change, a story moves to a different continent or a different plane entirely — and none of that should mean starting over or splitting your cast across two accounts. Membership, permissions, and shared history belong to the setting, so they belong to the realm.
Worlds, and why the app calls them planes#
A world is a place inside the realm with its own map and geography. Because a realm can span several — a material world, an underdark, an afterlife, a demiplane — the navigation files them under Atlas as planes. A world is one plane among the realm's many.
Places nest as deep as you need: a world contains regions, regions contain locations, and locations can contain sites such as a dungeon or a keep.
Try it in the app
- World Dashboard HelpOpen in DMRealm →
Guided tours run inside the app — open the screen and choose Help.